Extreme cold causes burst pipes, flooding around Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The extreme cold the Chicago area has been experiencing lately has taken its toll on infrastructure all over the Chicago area.
On Monday night, we spotted a Water Management Department crew doing emergency repairs on a broken water main at 56th Street and Central Avenue, in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood not far from Midway International Airport.
Businesses were not faring much better. At a T-Mobile store at 51st Street and Pulaski Road in the Archer Heights neighborhood, a pipe burst and sprayed water from the ceiling – leaving the store flooded.
A repair company told us at one point, there was more than a foot of water on the floor of the store.
There was a similar scene downtown Monday afternoon, at the historic Delaware Building at Dearborn and Randolph streets. Video showed water cascading down the walls – dropping all the way from the fourth floor to the first – after a pipe burst.
The Delaware Building is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Chicago – completed just three years after the Great Chicago Fire.
Experts say if such a thing happens in your home, you have to act fast.
"We've got to clean up or tear up whatever needs to be torn up, and dry it as soon as possible before get any mold," said Giovanni Roman-Rodriguez of 2nd City Restoration.
"Once you do get it under control and clean up all the water, the best bet is to start getting rid of the drywall that did take on the water," said Mike Garritano of ABC Plumbing.
Experts recommend you know how to shut off your main water line so you can minimize damage if a pipe were to burst.
